MMORPG.com's Garrett Fuller asks a few questions of the team at Mythic Entertainment of the most recent update to their MMORPG Warhammer Online.

MMORPG.com:

How does changing the scenario system impact players the most? Will removing the less used scenarios help with wait time?

James Casey:

The biggest impact of the scenario system changes is that there is a higher concentration on scenario quality and consistency. For some of the more popular scenarios, we're extending them across multiple tiers, so players can learn the ropes in the lower tiers and be masters of the scenario by the endgame. Each tier also has unique scenarios, so there's something fresh to experience. In selecting those, we focused on scenarios that were more appropriate given the abilities players would have at those levels. This new scenario allocation also means that at any given time, people will always know what to expect from the scenario systems, the gameplay, and the rewards. This is especially important in Tier 4, where the dependency on the campaign meant that there could be as few as one scenario open for players. Now there will always be at least six.

As for wait time, removing the less used scenarios should help with wait time in a number of ways. With a consistent and manageable core group of scenarios (in tier 4 especially) that are comprised of some of the most popular scenarios, the pool of players for any given scenario should be larger, which in turn brings less wait time. Additionally, the scenarios that were selected for Tier 4 centered around a group of scenarios that have similar ending times and renown gain, so that players would be more likely to embrace the variety. With the addition of Warfront events, weekends will be buzzing with players revisiting old scenarios, which should drive bigger pools in a targeted fashion. We'll be monitoring the metrics of scenarios post 1.3.4 to see how well the new lineup affects wait time amongst a number of other measurable goals. ;)